Rain delays can be very dull, for fans and players alike. And while ticketholders can simply head home if they get bored during a stoppage, players are stuck at the park, waiting for Mother Nature and the umpires to decide they can get back to playing baseball.
On Friday, the Cubs and Diamondbacks suffered through three rain delays in a game Arizona eventually won 10-8. And because necessity is the mother of all innovation, the teams’ bullpens came up with a few novel ways to pass the time. With the Wrigley Field bullpens apparently connected by television monitors, the teams attempted to one-up each other with increasingly clever dance/comedy bits.
Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bullpen dance-off time! pic.twitter.com/LVPXwJ2ro8
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 3, 2017
Let’s grade these bits:
Cubs animal masks – C+
We had to start somewhere, and although there was nothing particularly witty about wearing goofy masks, it was an amusing entry point to the ensuing competition.
T.J. McFarland upside-down uniform – B+
This is pretty funny. I have never seen a man wearing an upside-down baseball uniform, and it lives up to the hype.
Diamondbacks bobsled team – A
It is extremely, extremely impressive that Arizona pulled this off so smoothly and with such slick synchronization. Could have been an A+ if McFarland hadn’t nearly knocked over his chair at the start.
Carl Edwards Jr.’s fishing trip – B
A good, solid bit. Clearly Edwards knows what he’s doing with a fishing rod, even if his teammate doesn’t look as if he’s ever been reeled in before.
Diamondbacks bowling – B+
Props to Rubby de la Rosa for being willing to act as a human bowling ball. This was a sound idea but could have benefited from a few more bowling pins. That said, it’s clear the Diamondbacks won not only the game, but also the bullpen talent show.
